D.C. appeals court takes Georgetown road trip

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit took a road trip to the nearby campus of Georgetown University Law Center on Tuesday, and a good time was had by all.

The two, 30-minute oral arguments conducted Tuesday morning marked the first time a three-judge panel of the powerful D.C. circuit conducted a session away from its home courthouse. It's a nifty idea, exposing the court's workings to a broader audience, and it all seemed to come off without a hitch.

Security was present but unobtrusive, and upwards of 150 or so students, faculty members, administrators, law clerks and others convened in the McDonough Hall auditorium normally used for moot court proceedings. Chief Judge Merrick Garland seemed pleased, and it would not be surprising if similar outings occur in the future.

Some other courts make a commendable practice of going on the road. Earlier this year, for instance, the U.S. Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals sailed a little distance to hold oral arguments at George Washington University Law School.